


Pokémon Empyrean: Wanderer

by Jay_Hayden



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Empyrean, Pokemon Fan Games
Genre: Alternate Timelines, F/M, Novelization, Pokemon-Human Fusion, The protagonist didn't have a last name so I gave him one, Timeline Shenanigans, regional variants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26106034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jay_Hayden/pseuds/Jay_Hayden
Summary: It's not like Jace expected the vacation with his dad to actually go as planned, but he didn't think his dad would get captured on his mission, either. Now, he must journey through the Omuran region and win his way to the top while trying to make sure he doesn't lose his only family.
Relationships: Ashy Sukuyomi/Jace Fortune
Kudos: 3





	1. Arrival at Seaside Vista

Jace Fortune jumped out of the truck and stretched, breathing in the salty air. So like back home, but home was on the other side of Omura entirely. Wingull cawed in the sky above and he could hear the waves lapping the shore below him.

"We're finally here!" Jace's dad, Hal Fortune, said triumphantly. "Do you remember this place, Jace? We used to come here on vacations, back in the day."

Jace looked around, trying to find any familiarity in the calm, soothing atmosphere. "Yeah, I remember…" he lied, then he shook his head. _Don't lie to Dad, he's doing all this for you._ "Well, not really. Sorry, Dad." _We haven't been back since before Mom died… And that was years ago, of course I don't remember…_

Hal just gave his son a warm smile. "You don't? All the better!" he said enthusiastically. "You'll get to re-explore then. I just hope you didn't forget where our house is. Well, you can't miss it. It's up there!" He pointed up at the cliff on top of the shore.

Jace grinned with excitement, infected by his dad's enthusiasm. "Okay, I can see it!" _Mom would want us to be happy,_ he thinks, and he truly wants to enjoy this time with his father.

"Let's go unpack," his dad said, "and then we can go visit the town and do some real father-son bonding." Then he bolted up the hill.

Jace rolled his eyes, but smiled at his dad’s antics. "Right. He dashed off as usual." He walked up the hill at a slower pace than his father, looking at the flowers blooming on the path. They were pretty, bright purples and pinks. As he neared the house he saw an old man watching the sea and he gave him a friendly wave. The old man smiled and waved back, and Jace continued on, reaching their vacation home.

* * *

When he finally made it inside, his dad jumped at the door closing. "Oh!" he said, surprised. "Jace, did you get lost in the woods? It took you ages to get here. I was about to call the mountain rescue service," Hal teased.

Jace laughed. "Dad, I was right behind you, jeez," he said with mock annoyance. He glanced around, noting the moving boxes that had arrived ahead of them and how the house was cleaner than the one they'd left just a couple days before…

"Well," his dad asked with slight trepidation, "does this old house evoke your memories?"

Jace walked toward the boxes, taking in the scent of pine wood and salty air. "It feels familiar," he said, honestly. "It smells familiar." He breathed in deeply, trying to take in a bit of the peacefulness the house seemed to exude.

Hal smiled. "Yes. It's nice, isn't it?"

Jace nodded, turning back to his dad. "So anyways, how long will you be staying?" he asked with some reluctance. He didn't really want to think about his dad being dragged back to work, he just wanted to enjoy whatever time they had together. But… It would suck a lot more if it crept up on him, he knew from experience.

Hal sighed. "Three days," he replied. "And then I have to return to work." He didn't look any happier to say the words than Jace was to hear them.

"Only three days?" Jace asked, sadly. "And then you're off again, doing your James Bond stuff?" Jace took a deep breath to steady himself. He'd been braced to hear it, but it was disheartening nonetheless. Being a Sylen Corporation agent kept his dad busy almost constantly, so he was usually only got home late, and sometimes not even then.

Hal laughed a little awkwardly. "Yeah. Well, I know it's not much, Jace, but I promise we'll get to spend more time together from now on. At least once a month, making exciting trips, just like this."

Jace tried to put a brave face on it and quipped, "Once a month? I guess that's better than, well, almost never." He fought the urge to cry. _I can't even remember the last time you had off. Couldn't you have a full week off, just once?!_ He took a deep breath to steady himself. He didn't want to spoil their time together, it wasn't his dad's fault that scum bags kept trying to ruin Omura.

His dad looked away, tears glistening in his eyes. It wasn't easy for Hal, either. Being away from his son so much and missing so much of him growing up. Jace was sixteen now, and three days was the most he'd gotten off in years. "I know…" he said quietly. But he smiled and walked back over to Jace, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Anyways, are you ready to hit the town? I heard there's a pokémon trainer get-together, held by Mr. Mon. Surely you'll remember him.

"A pokémon trainer get-together?" Jace questioned, deciding not to mention he had no recollection of this "Mr. Mon"; there'd been enough unpleasantness already.

"That's right," Hal said with a grin. "Pokémon trainers from all the neighboring towns come here to hang out and exchange the hottest news. Aaaaand, Jace! I hope you didn't forget. Tomorrow you'll get your first pokémon, and officially become a pokémon trainer!"

Jace's eyes lit up with excitement, and he beamed. "Oh yeah, I can't wait!"

Suddenly Hal's pokégear began ringing, surprising them both. "Oh?" Jace's dad said. "Someone's calling me." Jace backed up a little to give his dad some semblance of privacy. "It's the Chief," Hal said, voice losing it's energy and becoming serious.

Jace tilted his head in confusion, they were supposed to be on vacation. _They can't let him have one day's peace?!_ he thought angrily, keeping his expression neutral. _He works so hard, I barely see him, and one of the few times he's given leave, they bother him…_

"Yes," Hal said, frown on his face and voice completely serious. "They have located the _reliquiae_?" Muffled words, indecipherable from Jace's distance from the pokégear. "Understood. I'll be arriving soon." He walked over to Jace and gave the teen a warm smile, although it looked a bit forced to Jace. "Something's come up. Don't worry, it's a minor thing. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Aren't you on vacation, Dad?" the teen asked sadly. Hal's smile slipped a little and he hugged his son hard before walking out the door. "And… he already left. I'd better follow him."

* * *

But, despite immediately following his dad out the door, Jace didn't see him anywhere. He sighed. "Classic," he said ruefully. "He's already gone. Still he said he'd be back soon. I've never known him to make a promise that he couldn't keep. Well, since the Father-Son bonding we were both planning is on hold for now, I can go check out that pokémon trainer get-together he mentioned." And with that thought in mind, he made his way towards Selene Town.


	2. Running Errands in Selene Town

It was a short walk to reach Selene Town and a couple townsfolk were happy to point him in the direction of Mr. Mon. When he reached his house the pokémon trainer get-together was in full swing. Everyone, trainer and pokémon alike, seemed to be having a good time, relaxing and talking to each other. Approaching the elderly gentleman outside his house Jace offered his hand to shake. "Oh, hello," the elderly man, who had to be Mr. Mon said as he took his hand and shook it. "You look somehow familiar to me, trainer."

"Oh I'm not a trainer, not yet at least," Jace explained. "My name's Jace Fortune. My father told me you'd know me."

Mr. Mon's smile threatened to split his face. "Oooh, Jace! You've grown quite a lot. It's good to see you. And I see your father isn't with you. Is he busy saving the world again? Hehe…"

The friendliness was contagious and Jace found himself laughing too. "In fact, yes. He's saving the world as we speak. He said he'd be back soon."

Mr. Mon clasped his hands together, pleased. "Marvelous!" he exclaimed. "Say, Jace, could you do me a favor? Could you ask Mr. Joyce for one bag of Pokémon Cookies? The pokémon simply love the cookies, but we seem to have run out of them."

Jace nodded. "Sure," he said. "I'd be glad to help."

"Excellent!" Mr. Mon said, pleased. "Mr. Joyce's house is the only one with a red roof. You can't miss it!"

"A red roof," Jace echoed. "Got it, thanks."

* * *

Indeed, finding the baker's house was not difficult at all. Between the unique roof and delicious smells coming out of it, it was very easy. Jace's mouth watered at all the delicious looking baked goods when he entered, but forced himself to ignore them and his grumbling stomach and approached the baker.

"Mr. Joyce? Mr. Mon sent me to fetch a bag of cookies for the pokémon get-together," he explained politely.

Mr. Joyce groaned. "What a surprise! Someone needs me to cook something!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "Well, I'd love to make you some, but you see, someone stole all of my Happy Powder! And you can't make Happy Cookies without the Happy Powder. It is known!"

Jace made an attempt at a reassuring smile. "Who stole it?" he inquired. "I'll go get it back."

Mr. Joyce sighed, and Jace got the feeling this wasn't the first time this had happened. "I don't know for sure, but I could swear it was that little urchin, Richie," he offered. "If you can get back that Happy Powder, then I'll be able to make you some cookies."

"It's a deal," Jace agreed and set off to look for this Richie.

* * *

And found him almost instantly, hiding right behind the bakery.

"Hey, kid. I know you stole the Happy Powder from Mr. Joyce. It's time to give it back," Jace told him firmly.

"Screw you," Richie said, and Jace felt weird hearing a kid who couldn't have been more than six cuss, he hadn't even known any cusses at six. "I ain't returnin' ennethang!" And then he ran off.

"Oh Arceus, here we go," Jace muttered. "Time to chase the brat!"

He took off after the annoying kid and found him on the beach. "Give the Happy Powder back, Richie," Jace demanded.

"Get awaaaaaaay from meeeeeeeeee!" Richie yelped and ran across the bridge. Naturally, Jace chased after him.

"Seriously, give them back before I lose my patience," Jace insisted.

"You can't stop me, fooool!" boasted Richie and he took off again. Jace rolled his eyes and went after him.

When he finally caught up to Richie again, the kid just said he was giving up and going home. Now very tired from running and sick of the whole thing Jace trudged after him, very relieved when he saw the mailbox with "Richie Owns" painted over it. Richie, very rudely, told him the powder was up in his room and when he tried to explain what had been going on to Richie's mother she rudely rebuffed him. Sick to the teeth of the whole thing, Jace went and grabbed the powder. As he headed out the door he realized the sun was starting to set. "I wonder where Dad is," he mused aloud. "I thought he'd be back by now…"

* * *

##  _Meanwhile in Another Place…_

"This is the time and place?" Hal asked Celebi, standing ankle deep in snow outside what appeared to be a cave. The wind howled and snow fell around them.

"Cele Celebi bi," Celebi insisted, nodding her head vigorously.

Hal nodded and headed for the building.

"CELEBI!" the legendary pokémon cried.

Hal turned back to her and sighed. "Wait for me here, Celebi," he said, gently but firmly. "I know you're eager to help, but I need you to be safe."

Celebi's expression turned despondent, but she nodded. "Bi bi bi."

Stepping into the "cave" showed instantly it wasn't a cave at all, but some kind of military compound. Hal readied his pokéballs at his belt. He really didn't want to be here, he wanted to be back in Selene Town with Jace but duty called. A quick wrap up mission and then he'd be back with son, and they'd be celebrating his first pokémon. Hal was pretty sure he knew what pokémon Jace wanted and had set things up with an old friend to ensure he got it. But for now, the mission.

As he made his way through he came upon a statue inscribed with the words:

##  _As the time turns, two stars shall reveal, the worlds in the sky._

_This might be more serious than I believed,_ Hal thought to himself. _The two stars… This group is mixed up with the Empyrean…_

He continued to make his way through the base, and for quite awhile encountered no trouble at all. Until he finally came face to face with a guard.

"Agent Hal, I presume?" the guard asked, and the Bisharp beside him hissed.

Hal glared daggers at the man. "So," he asked, "they were expecting me?"

The man seemed amused. "Absolutely," he confirmed. "Your recent endeavors have almost brought our entire operation to a halt. It's only natural that we would prepare for your grand arrival."

"You laughable fool," Hal snarled. "Your group was burned to the ground in the last assault. You lost _everything_!"

The guard shook his head. "You know nothing, Agent Hal," he reproached. "I'll let you through so you can see for yourself, the 'ashes' of our organization. Dance, Bisharp!"

The pokémon screeched and slashed at Hal. "Hold it off, Lucario!" he shouted, unleashing his own pokémon. "Close Combat!" he ordered. Hal didn't know who this man was, but he was clearly no match for his skill. His Bisharp fell instantly to one of his Lucario's attacks, and his next two pokémon only took needed one hit from his Salamence, each.

"Very well," the man said. "That was a fine battle, please do proceed."

Hal ignored him and walked straight past him.

As soon as he passed through the doorway he was assaulted by three men. "Lucario… help…" he groaned, but they were too quick, punching him in the gut with a cry of "Pokékata!" and snatched his pokéballs.

"We have disarmed him," one said while the other two pinned his arms behind him. He realized that all three had shaved heads, and their hair was dyed a pale blue.

"Welcome, Agent Hal," a brown-haired man said, tone dripping with menace. On his left was an egg and further along was a woman with pale white hair.

Hal looked about making a show of being unconcerned. "You _do_ realize capturing me means nothing, correct? Your Group is gone. But I'll humor you. What is it that you're doing here?" he asked, making his voice deliberately sound bored.

The man laughed. "Hoho… You crave answers, Agent. And I'll give them to you. Why? Let's say it's a _parting gift_."

They had him, and they knew they had him. It was time to act a lot more confident than he felt. _Forgive me, Jace, your old man might be a bit later than he planned,_ he apologized silently. "A parting gift? I wasn't planning on staying for too long," he said casually. "I'm glad you anticipated my move."

"Agent Hal," the brown-haired man said casually. "Have you perhaps heard of Empyreans? They've helped me escape… and _ascend_ from the abyss you plunged me in."

Not many Sylentia Agents had heard of the Empyreans. Most that had considered them merely a myth. But Hal had worked with Crow, with Celebi. He knew better. "Huh?" he asked, faking confusion. "Are they another one of your petty criminal affiliates?"

The man was silent briefly, but then he shrugged. "I suppose I might as well tell you," he said, turning to the egg. "Behold. The Proto Egg that has been incubating over a thousand years… will hatch in 41 days. And then our new ruler, and with him our new world, shall rise."

Something hard came down on his head and after that blackness was all Hal knew. _Jace… I'm… Sorry…_ he thought as he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

##  _Back in Selene Town…_

"I'm sure he's doing fine!" Jace exclaimed loudly, in an attempt to reassure himself and ignore the hole in his stomach. "Let's get on with these ridiculous errands."

Heading back to bakery, he gave it Mr. Joyce. "Mr. Joyce," Jace said loudly, "I got the powder."

Mr. Joyce gave Jace a big smile. "Ohoho, very good kiddo," he praised excitedly. "Now stand back! And prepare yourself to see the magic of bake bake baking Happy Cookies!!"

Despite how silly he was talking, his baking skills _did_ leave Jace impressed. He cooked up the cookies super quickly and they looked and smelled delicious. "All done," Mr. Joyce said, pleased. "Say hi to Mr. Mon for me, will ya?"

"Wow, thanks Mr. Joyce!" Jace replied. "I will!"

Then he bolted out of the bakery making a beeline for Mr. Mon's place, placing the bag in the old man's hand. "Oooh, are those the Happy Cookies?" Mr. Mon asked. "Well done, Jace, you did good. The pokémon will be most delighted, hmm."

Jace yawned, a day of chasing after cookies, powder, and rude brats catching up to him. "You look slightly tired, Jace," the old man said. "Have I troubled you too much with my errand?"

Jace smiled warmly, if tiredly. "No, no," he said. "It's fine. I just need to rest a little bit." It was true. Jace was exhausted, but helping people made him feel connected to his dad, who was always off doing his own heroics. And Mr. Mon and Mr. Joyce were good people.

Mr. Mon nodded in understanding. But no sooner had he done so did a blonde woman come running up behind them. "Oho!" Mr. Mon said. "If it isn't Professor Almond. Jace, it seems you're in luck. This is Professor Almond, the famous pokémon researcher."

"My, my," the woman, apparently Professor Almond, said. "My boots are all muddy." Then she turned to Jace. "Ah, so you are Jace. I've heard so much about you."

Jace looked at her in confusion, but Mr. Mon spoke before he could ask her what she meant. "It's good to see you have changed your mind about the get-together, professor."

Professor Almond shook her head and walked towards the door to Mr. Mon's house. "The get-together? Oh dear me, I most certainly haven't. What brings me here is an utmost emergency."

Mr. Mon nodded, his expression growing solemn. "I see. Let's talk inside then." Then he turned to Jace and attempted to give him a smile. "Enjoy the get-together. I'll be back shortly."

Jace nodded and went to move back towards Mr. Mon's garden, but Professor Almond interjected, "Mr. Mon. It's Jace that I need to speak to, in fact."

Jace's heart dropped into his stomach. _I_ knew _something was up when Dad didn't get back when he said he would. I_ felt _-_

"Oh?" asked Mr. Mon, interrupting his worries.

"Let's talk inside," Professor Almond said.

* * *

Jace quickly followed them into Mr. Mon's house. Mr. Mon affected an air of grandfatherly calm, which helped soothe Jace's tattered nerves, at least a little. "Now, now," he said calmly. "What's this all about?"

Professor Almond turned to Jace and addressed him directly, "Jace, I have received word from your father's superiors," she began. "They haven't given me much to work with but… in short… They told me that your father, Jace, has been captured by an enemy group."

Jace's eyes widened in horror. "Wh-What?!" _Dad was their best agent and someone had managed to capture him?!_ he thought in shock.

"Furthermore, and the reasons to this are unclear, there will be no attempts to rescue him," Professor Almond explained, far too calm for what she was saying.

Jace's mind was racing. "An enemy group? What enemy group? No attempts to rescue him?! What's going on?! Dad would never allow himself to be captured like that!" he rambled, words flying out of his mouth a mile a minute. _Those jerks made him go when he was supposed to be free… And now they won't even help him?!_ he thought incredulously.

"This is quite unsettling," Mr. Mon said, his air of calmness slowly but surely evaporating off him, like rain off a Magcargo turning to steam. "And that's all there is?"

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Mon," Professor Almond said, and turned to Jace. "Now, your father, Jace, left a message for you before he took off."

"A message?" Jace asked. _Dad's never left me a message before, as far as I know of. But then… he's never been captured before, either. Maybe this is just the first I actually got?_

"Yes," Professor Almond confirmed. "It's a letter, actually. Here, I was asked to deliver it to you personally."

"I… I can't believe this…" Jace said, voice faint. "This _cannot_ be happening." _The only family I have. Am I gonna lose Dad? What do I do?_

"I know it's not easy, Jace," Professor Almond said gently. "But there's still hope. Even though Sylentia Agency gave up on your father, there is no reason why any of us should give up."

Mr. Mon gave him a warm smile. "Mmhm, that's right. Jace, we're close friends of your father's and we'll do anything we can to help him."

Jace nodded but his mind was miles away. "Dad's a pretty badass trainer. I can't believe he would ever fail like that."

"Jace, please believe me," Professor Almond said. "Your father is missing, but we'll do all we can to find him." She patted his shoulder. After you read that letter, come visit my lab in Mera. Just follow the grassy path north of this town to reach Mera. I know that your father would want you to follow in his footsteps of becoming a world class pokémon trainer. Also, the data you collect will be useful for my research. So, do pay me a visit, Jace."

"I'll come," Jace said quietly. He'd been looking forward to becoming a trainer for months, but this wasn't how he'd expected it to happen.

"With that, my visit has come to an end. Mr. Mon, it was nice to see you again."

Mr. Mon sighed. "Yes, likewise. If only the circumstances were not so grim," he suddenly sounded much older. "Take care."

She squeezed Jace's shoulder gently, then left.

Jace got out of his chair and walked for the door. _Grim. Dark,_ he thought. _Surely, this situation would be accurately described with those two words._

"But," he said aloud without realizing, "I'll use neither of those words. Instead, from here on out, my quest will be twofold. To become the best pokémon trainer, and to find Dad! My only family. Mom, please, watch over us both!"

"Jace, are you feeling alright?" Mr. Mon asked. "You started mumbling something to yourself. Do you want to rest here for a while?"

"I'm okay," Jace said, giving the kind old man a smile. "I'll be heading out to Mera Town now."

"Good, good," Mr. Mon said, returning the smile.

 _But first,_ Jace thought, _Dad's letter._

* * *

_Hello Jace_

_If you're reading this, that means I was probably captured, and you've probably been told no one will come to rescue me either. Well, hey, don't fret! It only means the mission to rescue me is so risky and dangerous that it's not profitable. When I phrase it like that, it sounds like I'm in some sort of grave danger, but I'm not! By the time you see finished reading this, I could already be soaring the skies on my Salamence, free as a Pidgey! Anyway, Jace! I wish for you to become the best pokémon trainer in the world. I know you can do it. Good luck on your journey. We'll meet again someday._

_Best wishes,_

_Dad_

_\--P.S. And so I sailed the undulating seas, latched on to lackluster twines of destiny._

* * *

"What even was that last bit?" Jace asked no one in particular.


End file.
